Online fishing licences may catch grief

System to be running April 1 as offices close; groups say it’s too fast

OTTAWA — Fishing associations are expecting turmoil and are calling for a backup plan as the federal government moves toward its new online licensing system.

Fishermen were supposed to be managing their fishing licences online as of January, but that start has been postponed.

However, the system will need to be fully functional by April 1, the day when Fisheries and Oceans Canada shuts down its walk-in licensing centres across the country.

The department says it is still on track to meet that deadline despite starting the conversion late. But fisheries groups say they are expecting major headaches because Ottawa is rushing its cost-cutting measures.

Ottawa had planned to wean the online system into existence by signing up 20 per cent of fishing licences in January, 30 per cent more in February and the rest in March, says Nellie Baker Stevens of the Eastern Shore Fishermen’s Protective Association.

She said she’s asked the government to delay the mandatory switchover deadline but has been given no sign that will happen.

Some fishing groups say the department left itself no time to fix the broken system because it has already started laying off or relocating office staff.

Dick Stewart, of the Full Bay Scallop Association, said he expects the switchover to be a disaster.

“We’ve been telling them now for six months that they were going too fast, that they didn’t have all their ducks lined up and the thing wouldn’t work,” said Stewart.

“It’s going to be a mess. I’ve been in this business 60 years and I’ve never seen them bring in anything new that didn’t take them at least a year to debug.”

Others raised concerns about older fishermen not being able to figure out the online system and people without high-speed Internet access.

Fisheries and Oceans spokeswoman Erin Filliter said there will be ways to address those issues, including fishermen designating someone else to handle their account.

“We’re doing training right now and getting people accustomed to the new system. In terms of it being fully up and running, that’s still on schedule,” she said.

The electronic system comes as many fishermen are also coping with handling their own tagging system. This year, the department is outsourcing the handling of official tags for fishing traps to the fishing associations.

Ginny Boudreau, of the Guysborough County Inshore Fisheries Associations, says her group is scrambling to get the tagging system set up by the start of the first fishing seasons in April.

She said buying the tags will cost about $50 extra per member, but her members already pay relatively high membership dues — $600 per year — for an administration system that smaller groups don’t have.

She said more time would have allowed fishing groups to work together and get lower prices through bulk buying.

Chris Hudson, of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association, expects his members will have to pay $60 to $70 for the tags, but the cost of keeping an office open year-round to manage the tags will push the cost to about $200 per person.

“DFO has pushed this on us so fast,” he said. “We’ve formed a coalition and lobbied government to please give us another year. Have DFO charge us extra money, if they have to, to keep their offices open and give us some time to figure this out.”